Baba Ghannouj
(Eggplant Dip)
1
large round eggplant (aubergine)
2 or
3 cloves of garlic
60
milliliters (3 oz., 4 Tbs.) tahina*
60
milliliters (2 oz., 4 Tbs.) lemon juice
salt,
red pepper
olive
oil
chopped
parsley
slices
of red bell pepper to garnish
-
Cook the eggplant in a hot oven or on a fork over the flame of a gas
stove. When it is well cooked through and the skin is blackened, douse with cold
water, peel and chop into small pieces. Mash two or three cloves of garlic to a
paste with about the same volume of salt. Add eggplant, mash to a smooth
consistency and blend the tahina and lemon juice to make the Arab version of
this dish; omit the tahina for the Turkish version. Serve in a bowl with little
olive oil on top and garnish chopped parsley, red pepper slices and a dusting of
red pepper. Serves five.
Recipe from "Aramco World" magazine March - April 1988
*(many mainstream grocery stores now sell this product, usually in the
gourmet foods section; otherwise, any Middle Eastern grocery should carry it)